Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a test cable as well as a socket adapter for a test cable, wherein the socket adapter has a plug strip with contact pins arranged at a distance from each other on a base body and having a socket contact section and a printed circuit board contact section
Description of Related Art
In order to test the functionality of electrical control devices, which are used for example in the motor vehicle industry for controlling motors, it is required to connect a test device to the control devices. For motor vehicles, so-called Y cables or respectively test cables are used for this in auto service shops, which make it possible to test a control device while the motor vehicle is running. In this context, the test cable has a standardized socket connectable to the plug connection for connection of the test device to a plug connection of the control device. The socket is connected with a connection element for connection to the test device via a first cable or directly with the test device and with a second cable with a socket adapter, which serves to receive the socket connected to the plug connection of the control device in regular operation and thus to connect with the control device. The test cable thus enables the simultaneous connection of the test device and the socket to the plug connection of the control device.
The plug connections of the control devices are generally formed by a plug strip soldered with a printed circuit board of the control device. In this context, printed circuit board contact sections of the contact pins of the plug strip are soldered with the corresponding contacts on the printed circuit board so that the socket contact sections of the contact pins are then available for connection to the socket.
So that, in addition to the connection of the test device, the test cable also allows a connection with the socket associated to the printed circuit board plug of the control device, it is required to provide the test cable with a socket adapter, which is designed for the connection of the socket adapted to the printed circuit board plug. However, the use of a printed circuit board plug makes it necessary to connect each individual contact pin with a lead in the area of the printed circuit board contact section in order to provide a socket adapter, which is suitable for receiving the socket. However, a corresponding contacting, through soldering, is particularly complex and error-prone. Alternatively, it is also possible to purchase prefabricated, industrially produced plug units, which however result in high costs for the test cable due to the high production effort.